On Saturday, September 30, 2006 at 7:01 pm, Scotiabank's Nuit Blanche will officially begin, a sunset-to-sunrise journey that will connect art and public spaces.

Ending at 7:15 am on Sunday, this free, all-night contemporary art thing will feature more than 130 projects. Individual exhibitions, 'My Secret City' which is the transformation of public spaces as well as independent projects will be available for you to discover across three major zones.

Zone A, located in the Village of Yorkville Park is curated by Fern Bayer, Peggy Gale and Chrysanne Stathacos. Some of the key exhibits not to be missed include Fog in Toronto #71624 by Fujiko Nakaya and Ulysses Castellanos' performance, Into The Void (12 hour 'Sleep').

The interactive Zone B, located in Butterfield Park is curated by Kim Simon. Some special treats include walking along Baldwin street for artist Chris Curreri's neon love poem featuring Elvis Presley song titles and Samuel Roy-Bois' inspired Saturday Night Fever dance floor at 180 Queen Street West. Don't forget your dancing shoes!

Trinity-Bellwoods Park will host Zone C, curated by Clara Hargittay, "Nuit Blanche remembers the ordinary people who at one time lived here and shaped its legacy." One of the Secret City's key exhibits is Christie Pearson's Night Swim, a 12-hour swimming party with DJs. This is not only for swimming, but also for observing, listening as well as creating and living your very own fluid experience. Be sure to pack your bathing suit!

I highly recommend that your visit the Nuit Blache website and develop your own trek. The site provides some great descriptions of the exhibits as well as a survival guide to get you through the evening. The obstacle for me so far has been fitting all of the great exhibits into one night.

PS. Every time you purchase a refreshment or merchandise at one of the zone hubs, you can make a donation to one of Scotiabank's designated charities for the night. These charities are committed to helping the homeless of Toronto.

Photo Credit: Jill Krauskopf
Fujiko Nakaya, Foggy Falls, 1982. Full-scale field test at Musashi-Kyuryo Forest Park, Tokyo, Japan.